best first solids?

solidstars

solidstars

Registered User
just thinking ahead of time (ie. maybe buying stuff ahead of time)... what were your first foods (solids) to your baby?

what are the best solids to introduce? which rice cereals? brand names?

i'm thinking organic rice cereal? which brands are good? how do you make them with EBM?

and how long after rice cereal do you give other solids and what were your first ones (i'm thinking of making them myself...)???

appreciate any thoughts/insights/suggestions!!!
 
My bubs first solid food was avocado, it was easy to mash. He then had baby porridge, pears (cooked and pureed), courgette/zucchini cooked and pureed. I also mixed the pear and avocado and mixed in the some pears at breakfast with his porridge. Other good foods to try are sweet potato, brocoli (good for iron), red lentils, pumpkin. I tried a new food every day, although I think you are supposed to wait a couple of days to check for allergies.

You can buy organic rice cereal at Three Sixty supermarket or any of the health food stores in Central. Holle is a good brand. There will be instructions on the packet on how to make it up but basically I just warm some milk in a small bowel in the microwave stir in the cereal to desired consistency and then I mix in some fruit.

I'm sure people can recommend some good weaning books. I have an Annabel Karmel book called 100 best baby purees which gave me lots of idea. Its daunting at first but you will soon get the hang of it.
 
and Kiwi Fruit are great too, full of vitamin C so I give my bub one every day. I puree it with banana and he either eats it on its own or mixed in with his rice cereal.
 
I started with organic brown rice cereal. I got it from Canada but I also bought the Healthy Times organic brand here at ParknShop or Eugene - $43.
Since I started early, I just gave him that for a few weeks only. Then I started with the healthy times organic oats. Then I started with pear, carrot, apple, sweet potato, pumpkin, banana, I think in that order. I made everything myself. Super easy - just steam and then puree, except for the banana which I just mashed(make sure it`s nice and ripe - I also use the small ones, like they have in Thailand:)).
What I didn`t do at the start was to record what I gave him and any reaction to it. So when I had him on about 8-10 foods and he had a reaction, I couldn`t figure it out and had to start over. It was a pain. The culprit was peas, in case you want to be wary too.
Gerber makes wonderful organic 1st and 2nd stage purees that they sell at City Super ( I got mine in Causeway bay). About $20 for a 2 pack, not in jars so great for traveling.
 
thanks shenzhennifer, and karmah1!

just wondering, karmah1 you defrost EMB in the microwave?

if making rice cereal with EBM, how warm/cold should the cereal be? As I'm worried that I might spoil the EBM when i 'cook' it...

i've seen holle already, but haven't seen healthy times yet... i'll keep looking around for other organic rice cereal!
 
I've never frozen EBM as I never had enough supply. I would assume you could defrost in the microwave.

I just zap the milk for 20 seconds in the microwave then mix in the cereal and then a little pureed fruit. Its just warm, by the time he finish it its cold!

The organic rice cereals I use in Australia is Bellamy's and Heinz, not sure if they are available in Hong Kong.
 
It`s recommended to serve the cereal at room temperature, that way they don`t get used to having it warm and refuse it otherwise later.
I started out using fresh BM straight from the source. It got to be a hassle so I started using Japanese formula in cubes. I heat up some water for 10 to room temp, drop in a cube, presto - got some milk, then add the cereal to that.
I used healthy times - there`s another thread now about this too. But I prefer Organix.
Solidstars - if you come out to Tsuen Wan, at Discovery Mall there`s a ParknShop with both brands, a Eugene with Healthy times and a pharmacy with Holle, I believe.
 
We are in the first week of weaning now.

I tend not to defrost EBM the Microwave, I either leave it in the fridge overnight or if I need it right away, drop the bag unopened into a jug of warm water. As you need so little in the very beginning, I'm currently pumping a bit and using it straight away.

Puree is usually at room temp.

I use the Organix range, first taste was wholegrain baby rice mixed with EBM. Next day mashed banana mixed with BM. I'm now on day four and adding in apple puree, tomorrow will be pear. Fruit has been steamed and frozen in cubes.

Next week we will get more exotic with veg. We probably should wait a number of days before introducing new foods, but my first had no reactions to fruit and veg so we will risk it I think..

Like Karmah, I used a lot of mashed avocado with my first. Also sweet potato, courgette and kiwifruit. I used to follow the protein at lunchtime (e.g. cheese before we introduced meat and fish) and carbs at dinner broad guideline. Organic cream cheese was always a winner to mix into fruit and vegetables.

With 1# I introduced chicken at 7 months, other meat and fish a little later at 7.5-8 months I think. Chicken mince mixed with avocado was a favourite. I used to also cook chicken and apricots and freeze into ice cubes to mix with vegetables.

Make Homemade Baby Food Recipes, Homemade Baby Food Recipes, Solid Food Baby Tips, Baby Nutrition & more! is a good website and also the Annabel Karmel book that someone mentions above.
 
Hi LeahH - What's your schedule for feeding your baby been like this week? I'm probably going to start my 5.5 month old boy on rice cereal this weekend and am now contemplating at which meal I would give it to him. Thanks!
 
FM,

You should really give new foods early at 11am. So you can observe baby in case she has an allergic reaction.
 
Hi

As Rani says, we started with his first baby rice at 11am (gave him some of his milk feed first and the remainder afterward).

Then the next day transferred the baby rice to 5-5.30pm and introduced fruit puree with EBM at the 11am.

We'll continue like this keeping the baby rice for his 'tea' and introducing new fruits and veg at the 11am 'lunch feed'.

As we get closer to the end of 6 months, we'll add in breakfast (organic oatmeal cereal and a bit of fruit puree) and move lunch to a bit later at 11.30-12.00, so he goes down for his lunchtime nap with a full tummy. He'll prob have cut out his lunch time milk feed and just have a full milk feed when he wakes mid afternoon.

I'll then introduce proteins into his lunch and make his tea from root vegetables or other high carb foods.
 
Thanks LeahH and Rani! Sorry for the late response, i'm going to print out your comment and follow it somehow... after I purchase a feeding chair and the Annabel book...
 
I started with Earth's Best organic rice cereal mixed with formula. After a week I gave him cooked pureed pears and apples. Then on to cooked pureed carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, potatoes and oatmeal and barley cereal. I tried Chinese congee but he doesn't like it too much unless I mix it with some of the above sweet vege.

I just thinly slice the fruit/vege and boil in a little water for about 20min or till soft, then put in the food processor. I make enough for 2-3 meals each time and keep it in the fridge.

It's a good idea to introduce new good one at a time every 3-4 days. And to have a back up when you introduce a new food in case you baby is picky eater like mine. He hated avocado and would spit it out. I always have a couple jars of food (he likes healthy times) as back up at home and those are good for travelling too. I don't even heat up the jar food.

I got his food from citysuper.

P. S. Expect constipation when first started solids. Pears solved the problem for us as my baby doesn't like to drink much water.
 
You can buy prunes too. They will make the baby poop. Also papaya.
If you steam the fruit and veg, it`s better as it perserves all the nutrients that would get lost in the water otherwise.
 
thanks baffelly, shenzhennifer!

i just bought the Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby on amazon... hopefully will get that soon in the mail... now all i need is a proper feeding chair and decide on rice cereal and i'll finally be ready to start!
 
solidstars,

you can help avoid constipation by offering your baby water with each solid meal. At 6 months I started my son on a sippy cup, took him a while to get used to it. And as he was formula fed I added an extra 10ml of water in the bottle with each feed to ensure he got the extra water.
 
Hello, I need some advice:

My baby boy is 19 weeks and he is feeding on formular. As I want to add more fibre & iron to his diet, I am told that I may add some 'cereal powder' into the formular, e.g. one tablespoon once a day as a start.

Can anyone tell me if it's ok if I add one tablespoon of cereal powder into his formular once a day, as a start?

And, I checked the brand "HOLLE" on their cover they said their cereal is suitable for baby aged from 4 months. But two pacakges of them contains 'gluten'. Shall I avoid gluten?

Thanks,
 
I think he is too young to be given cereal powder and its not recommended to add to a bottle. Formula should provide sufficient iron and fibre in his diet. Its only after 6 months that a babies iron stores start to deplete, he would of got plenty of iron from you during pregnancy. If you think he is ready to start solids don't add it to the bottle but offer it on a spoon.

If you have allergies in the family I would avoid all cereals containing gluten till 12 months. You can start on rice cereal and most of them are iron fortified.
 
Like Rani said, we introduced new foods in the morning and on weekdays so in case of a reaction, doctors were around. We still did this after 14 months when introduced peanut butter to our son. I made sure it was a weekday and early enough so that I could go to our pediatrician if need be.
 
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